Gunman kills Oklahoma fire chief, possibly over job

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - A gunman who may have been turned down for a job in an Oklahoma fire department walked into the home of the fire chief and shot and killed him, authorities said on Wednesday.

Keith Bryan was the fire chief of Nichols Hills, an affluent suburb of Oklahoma City. He died early on Wednesday after being shot in the head.

He was shot at around 10 p.m. local time on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said.

An interview with the fire chief's widow has led investigators to look into whether anyone turned down for a job at the Nichols Hills Fire Department might be responsible for the slaying, said Jessica Brown, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Brown declined to say what the widow, Rebecca Bryan, said to investigators. But the local KWTV station reported that the widow said the man turned to her, apologized, and then said Bryan should have hired him.

Police said they had heard the report but would not confirm the comment.

The suspect was described as a white male in his 20s or 30s who drove a small pickup truck, Brown said.